On 12 June, the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) participated in Session 5: Human Resources for Mental Health of the WHO Course on Policy and Leadership in Mental Health.
Contributing alongside experts in psychiatry and psychiatric nursing, EFPA highlighted the need to rethink how mental health systems make use of existing expertise. The contribution emphasised that investing in prevention and early intervention, strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, and making better use of psychologists’ broad competencies across healthcare, education, workplaces, and social services are essential to meeting future demands.
EFPA also underlined that psychologists contribute far beyond individual therapy, playing key roles in coordination, behaviour change, and evidence-based interventions across more than 20 fields of practice. Policymakers were encouraged to integrate psychological expertise more systematically into workforce planning and public policy.
The session was moderated by Trimbos Institute and featured contributions from the European Psychiatric Nurses Association (HORATIO) and the European Community based Mental Health Service Providers (EUCOMS) Network, fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue on building resilient and sustainable mental health systems across Europe.
The WHO Course on Policy & Leadership in Mental Health (*) is designed as a tool for policymakers, programme leaders, civil society advocates, and technical experts to create mental health systems that work for everyone.
